Out & About September 2017

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for events throughout September
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT
LOCAL WILDLIFE EVENTS
Wherever you are this summer, go wild with your local wildlife trust
Greenham Common is surely incorrectly
named; a place with so rich a history
can hardly be thought of as common.
On top of that, its natural beauty and the
sheer volume and variety of its wildlife marks it out
as a place of astonishing beauty and wonder. A
place to be cherished and nurtured for the good of
the local community and for the nature it supports.
Greenham Trust reclaimed the common in
1997, following the closure of the RAF airbase,
and it is now managed by the Berks Bucks and
Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) on behalf of West
Berkshire Council.
Rare and endangered wildlife such as nightjars
have returned and are growing in numbers, and
more local people are enjoying the common for
walking, running, cycling, and wildlife photography.
The magnificent two-day Greenham: 100
Years of War & Peace event celebrating the
20th anniversary of the Greenham Trust starts
on Friday, September 8, with professional
performances alongside local talent and
community groups (see feature p24).
The Wildlife Trust is joining in and literally flying
the flag for nature.
Earlier this year, BBOWT volunteers and staff
worked alongside professional artist Ali Pretty,
to create a stunningly beautiful banner, four
metres high and every centimetre celebrating
the wonderful aspects of this not-so-common
landscape.
The design captures all the natural elements:
a silver birch tree runs the length of the banner,
pools and the network of paths are there.
Iconic species such as the diminutive Dartford
warbler and the adder feature, while the full
colours of the heathland are shown off through
the wild flowers and insects that flourish through
the summer.
At the centre of the banner is a pond with a frog
and eggs, signifying life’s cycle.
Jacky Akam, who led BBOWT’s Linking the
Landscape in West Berkshire project, enjoyed
reflecting on the importance of the common:
“the whole process was huge fun and extremely
thought provoking”.
Footprints, both human and canine, together with
bike tyre marks are dotted along the pathways;
cattle and ponies are also present because their
grazing is important for managing heather.
The wildlife banner is one of 10 superb flags, all of
them created by community groups, which will be
flying throughout the two-day event.
Come along and meet Wildlife Trust volunteers
and colleagues who can tell you so much more
about the wildlife that make their homes on
Greenham Common.
Jacky Akam
parades the Wildlife
Banner and her
partner Lincoln
Jacobs holds the
USAF Banner
Flying the flag
for nature
JONE AYRES from the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife
Trust sings the praises of Greenham Common and
the trust that has helped preserve it
OA outdoors
Wildlife banner on parade among the
GreenhamWar and Peace banners
Banner pictures: Mike Johnston
BBOWT volunteer
Lloyd Garvey
helps families
discover reptiles on
Greenham Common
Picture: Adrian
Wallington
Thank you Greenham Trust. In the last 20
years your generous support of BBOWT’s
Living Landscape work helped to restore
the heathlands at Greenham and Crookham
Commons, enabling more wildlife to thrive
there and more people to enjoy the landscape.
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